Cody Bellinger and the New York Yankees will face Junior Caminero and the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays to begin Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday.
New York (93-68) is coming off a 2-0 sweep against the rival Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series. Bellinger hit a home run and drove in four two-out RBIs in a decisive 9-2 victory over Boston on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay, on the other hand, awaits the winner of the Wild Card Series, after the most wins in the AL (98-64).
How to Watch Yankees vs. Rays Game 1
Images by Thomas Shea-Imagn
- Time: 6:30 pm ET
- Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida.
- TV: TBS/truTV
- Live stream: YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV
Designated hitter and leadoff hitter Ben Rice finished the year with Yankee-highs in home runs (41), RBI (97), on-base percentage (.363) and hits (151). New York will notably be without three-time AL MVP outfielder Aaron Judge, who has officially been left off the Yankees’ 2026 MLB playoffs roster.
For Tampa Bay, Caminero performed at an MVP level in the regular season, along with Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez [among the favorites in] betting odds for the 2026 AL MVP Award. The 23-year-old is tied for fourth in the league in home runs (42), in the top 10 in RBIs (101) and seventh in OPS (.885).
New York will start veteran right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole (10-9, 3.61 ERA) for Game 1, while Tampa Bay selected right-handed pitcher Drew Rasmussen. Rasmussen finished the year with team highs in wins (16-5 record), ERA (2.67) and strikeouts (174).
The series is a best-of-five, with the winner advancing to the AL championship series.
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